Refrigerating unit



C. C. SPREEN 'Amin 22,1924.' A 1,491,113

REFRIGERATING UNIT Filed July so. 192s f2 sheets-sheet 1 2z @mms @.sprn

INVENTOM A T T O FL N E YJ' April z2 1924.

IAQLNS C. C. SPREEN REFRIGERATING UNIT Filed ,1u1y'3o- 1923 2sheets-sheet 2 C11/arles C. Spreen INYENTo/ AT T o im EYs Patented Apr.22.', 1924.

'neuralil STATES .PAT

ENT .oF-Fics.

CHARLES c. SPREEN, or nnrnofrr, mroHIGAN, 'AssIGNoR fro x'ELvINA'roncoRPonA- TION, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN,

A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE mnmmrrne'um'r. t

Application mecd July StL 1823. Serial-No. 654,517.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. SPREEN. a citizen of the United States,residin at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and tate of Michigan, "haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Refrigerating Units, ofwhich the followin is va full, clear, and exact description, re erencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

In the application of mechanical'refrigerating units to householdrefrigerators of the )small size so commonly found in apartment'housesit is 'particularly essential that the refrigerating unit occupy theminimum space, be .produced at the lowest possible l cost, and operatewith the minimum expense. My invention concerns itself with theproduction of a refrigerating unit dcsigned to meet these re uirementsand in the drawings accompanying this specication and formingapartthereof I have shown, for purposes of illustration, two

=-`forms which my invention may aume. ln

these drawings: y

Figure 1 is a section through the icc chamber of a refrigerator showingone form of refrigerating unit embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is an end view of the unit shown in Figure 1 looking from theleft,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure l but showing a second form ofrefrigerating unit also embod ing my invention, vwhile Figure 4 is aview similar to Figure 2 but shoving the form of unit illustrated inFigure ln the drawings I have shown a refrigerator 11 provided with arefrigerating chamber 12 adapted to receive the refriger- .ating unitand communicating with the remainder of the refrigerator ll-by means ofan outleti13 positioned inthe bottom wall of the refrigerating chamber12 and an inlet positioned in one of the side walls of the refrigeratingchamber 12` and not vshown herein. 0

The refrigerating unit illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 comprises anindirect expansion tank 14 filled with any suitable heat conductingmaterial such as brine, formed annular in shape to permit the insertioninto the centralopening thereof of a suitable ice `pan 15 in which icemay be formed, and adapted to receive intcriorly of itself a suit- \ableheli.x16 provided with an inlet 17 communlcating through an expansionvalve 18 with a duct 19 leading from a compressor (not shown) andprovided further with an outlet 20 communicating through aJ directexpansion coil 21 and a thermostat unit 22 with a duct 23 leading backto the com- ,pressoxx The expansion tank 14 is herein shown as supportedfrom the refrigerator 11 by means of rods 24 extending across the icevchamber 12 and the expansion coil 21 as supported fromthe expansion tank14 by means of a bracket 25 carried by the upper side of the tank 14.'v

. The expansion coil 21 is also shown here- 1n as extending from a pointnear that end of the tank 14 at which the coil 21 is connected to thehelix 16 to a point substan` tially removed from the other end of thetank 14 to thus reserve above the tank 14 a space adapted to receive theexpansion valve Iii) 18 and'thermostat unit 22 to permit the ex-'pansion valve 18 and thermostat unit 22 to be mounted within thegeneral confines of the remainder of the unit and thus reduce the spacerequired for the unit. The space required is still further reduced bythe positioning of the ducts 19 and 23 leading to the compressor withinthe confines of the oc'il 21 and in addition the amount of spacenecessary for a given amount of cooling is still 4further reduced by theuse of a direct acting coil 21 which is both cheaper and more eiicientthan a plurality of further indirect acting tanks 14 and the 'use ofwhich therefore lowers both the initial cost and operating expense ofthe unit.

' The refrigerating unit illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 comprises adirect expansion tank 26 into which the refrigerant may directly expand,formed annular in shape to ermit the insertion into the central openingthereof of a suitable ice pan 15 in which ice may be formed,' andprovided with an inlet 27 in communication through an expansion valve13"with a duct 19 leading ico from a compressor v(not shown) andprovided further with an outlet 28 in communication through a directvexpansion coil 21 amount of cooling is The expansion coil 21 is alsosh`own here? in as extending froma point near that end` of the tank 26at which' the coil 21 is connected t0 the outlet 28 of the tank 26 to apoint substantially removed from the other end of the tank 26 to thusreserve -above the tank 26 a space adapted to receive the expansionvalve 18 and thermostat unit 22 to permit the expansion valve 18 andthermostat unit 22 to be mounted within the general confines of theremainder of the unit and thus reduce thev space required for the unit.The spacerequired is. still further reduced by the `positioning of theducts 19 and 23 leading to the compressor within the confines of thecoil 21 and in addition the amount of space necessary for a given stillfurther reduced by the use instead of indirect actingl tanks of not onlya direct acting coil 21 but also a direct acting tank 26 Which are bothcheaper and more efficient than the indirect actin tanks which theyreplace and the use of w ich ltherefore lowers 4both the initial costand operating expense of the unit.

, It will be apparent to those skilled'in the v art that I have providedtwo forms of re- .so frigerating unit suitable for the urposes for whichthey were designed an accomplishingv the objects of my invention; It

. will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the particularstructures herein a5 shown may be used` either in whole or in part, ininstallations other than those for which they were particularly desi nedand that they'may be variously modi ed without sacricing the advantagesor de art'ing 40 from the spirit of my invention. Eit will therefore beunderstood that the disclosurel p herein is illustrative only and thatmy i@ vention is not limited thereto.

I claim: 45

In combination, an indirect expansion chamber, a direct expansion coilin communication therewith and disposed longitudi nally above saidindirect expansion chamber, and horizontally disposed means suptovported by @said indirect expansion chamber arranged to support saiddirect expansion coil. l

' In testimony whereof, I-hereunto aix my signature.

' CHARLES C. SPREEN.

